Afternoon Drive with Xolani Gwala

Many toddlers walk on their tip toes when they start learning to walk. Toe walking is normal, but as children grow they should walk increasingly with their whole foot on the ground.

According to the research, between 5% and 12% of toddlers walk on their tip toes.

Podiatrist, Dennis Rehbock, says toe walking may be related to neurological conditions, and parents should have their children checked by a professional if this behaviour continues especially over the age of three.

Some neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy cause the calf muscle to be tighter or change the way it
works. This makes it hard or impossible for the child to get their heels onto the ground to walk with their whole foot.

If maybe they are four and still toe walking, then I will definitely get it seen by a professional to see if there is a further reason.

— Dennis Rehbock, podiatrist

When they have neurological conditions and they continue walking on their tip toes as they grow older, and those are the ones that are very complicated and serious.